


Drowning Seems Favorable

by thousandyearwitch



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bad Flirting, Complicated Relationships, Cruise Ships, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kissing, M/M, Sharing a Room, T rating for cursing alcohol and also kissing :flushed:, Timeline: Somewhere before CAA, pariging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25339366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thousandyearwitch/pseuds/thousandyearwitch
Summary: Ging and Pariston end up going on a cruise for work related reasons. But neither of them are true professionals, are they?Or: Oh my god they were roommates.
Relationships: Ging Freecs/Pariston Hill
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	Drowning Seems Favorable

The Ocean is a vast beauty. Endless waves framing the horizon, only giving a teasing glance of what could hide behind that infinite line. The deep blue so inviting, yet so dangerous and full of the unknown.

Ging Freecs leaned more on the railing of the cruise ship he was traveling this ocean with. A gentle breeze ran past his face, a refreshing break from the stuffy rooms inside the ship, carrying him away to someplace quieter, calmer…

“There you are!” …and far away from the man he was traveling with. Ging didn’t need to turn around to practically feel the smug smile that Pariston Hill must have had on his face.  
In a smooth motion, Pariston rested his arms on the railing next to Ging and stared out into the ocean with him.

When Pariston mentioned that a group of individuals were interested in funding Gings next expedition into a yet unexplored tomb, the older man had imagined a stiff meeting with a short presentation about the significance of excavation; A routine he didn’t enjoy, but could endure for the sake of his passion.  
It was only a day before departure, that Pariston informed Ging that his presentation would be held on a 4 day cruise.

* * *

“Its all-inclusive!” Pariston leaned on the table with his elbows, resting his head in one palm, while gesturing lazily with the other hand. The café they met at was quaint, one of Gings favourite for their good coffee and even better hash browns.

“I don’t care.”

“Aside from your presentation, you can spend the entire time doing what you want!”

“I still don’t care.”

“I will be there.”

Ging had choked back a laugh, “Aren’t you trying to convince me to come with you?” He kept his eye contact with Pariston while he finished his second cup of coffee. The blond man has never shied away from his stare, a sign of confidence Ging could appreciate but would only voice over his dead body.  
“Besides, I just don’t see a reason why I can’t wait till the moneybags are back from their little cruise.”

Pariston sighed dramatically, leaning back in the booth. “Because! They have come from all over the world to hold this meeting. After the cruise, they will scatter again, and won’t be as much in the mood to humour your little trip expenses. You could be a little more grateful that I’m granting you access to this golden opportunity.”

“And what’s the reason you are presenting me this opportunity for?” Gings tried to hide how interested he truly was in the kindness of the other. Pariston had never done good things for the sake of doing good, but his ulterior motives were always well hidden away. An excavation site of its own.

“I want to do a friend a favour.”

“Bullshit; The real reason.”

“I want to spend precious time with you.” The blond leaned forward again, a tell-tale grin on his face.

“Gross; The real reason.”

“It’s the truth! You’ve been a pain to get a hold off, missing countless zodiac meetings, and I appreciate your company…. _aslongasyoushowered_.” He coughed half-heartedly to cover up the rushed insult, though it only provoked a raised eyebrow in the rougher looking man.  
“We could use the time to get you up to speed with Zodiac business, and you can continue running away from your son.”

Ging could feel a surge of surprise and anger rush through him. “Excuse me?”

“Your son, you remember him, right? You left him with your cousin when he was just a baby? Never contacted him once in his Life? How old is he now, Ging?”

As a fist slammed down on the table, the café quieted, and for a second it felt like the entire world came to a stop. But Pariston just continued smiling, rolling his head from one palm to the other, as if the surge of aura didn’t even register to him.

“You don’t have the right to speak of Gon.” Ging practically hissed the words. Gon was not a topic of conversation he’d like to have with anyone, but especially not the rat in front of him.  
In response, Pariston just raised his hands in defence and surrender, though the gleam in his eyes gave away how utterly satisfied he was with the response he had provoked. He had won this round of the unspoken game they kept falling back into, a constant power struggle of who had the upper hand, who could play the other in just the right way.

And Ging had to admit defeat. For now.

* * *

The Cruise had started about 4 hours earlier, and Ging had already been preoccupied shaking hands, running through the same introductionary sentences about 30 times. The smell of cigarettes had driven him out to the Deck, to that railing where now he felt cornered once again by Pariston.

Ging tucked uncomfortable at the collar of his own white dress shirt, hating how it already clung to him like a second skin, suffocating and irritating. _A cruise with a dress code is fucking ridiculous._  
Meanwhile the man next to him wore one of his ridiculous fitted suits, most likely custom tailored just for him; Burgundy base colour with a windowpane pattern. Ging wondered briefly how he wasn’t constantly sweating himself to death in those heavy suits, but disregarded the thought. Pariston already took up too much space in his brain, that being any space at all.

The blond took a deep inhale of the fresh ocean breeze, before turning to his travel companion with his signature smile. “Are you enjoying the trip so far? I saw that you already got friendly with quite a few people.”

“Of course, I’m trying to find better company so I can ditch you.”

“Is that so? Because you looked about ready to dive into the sea and swim back to shore just now.”

The shorter man laughed lightly, “Maybe I was trying to find better company among fishes. I’m sure they are all far more interested in me and my work than anyone here.”

“I thought I was rather blunt about being interested in you, before.” Smoothly Pariston leaned more towards Ging, invading personal space as if it were nothing. The breeze gently loosened a few strands of hair from its usual well-kept form, and carried the smell of cologne with it.  
With a shallow breath, Ging turned to the taller man, supporting his own weight on one elbow seated on the railing. “How unfortunate that I’m not very interested in you.”

The two men let silence settle around them, only the machinery of the ship and the crashing waves against its walls filling the space.  
Their prolonged eye contact must have seemed awkward or tense to any outsider, but to the two of them it was just an opportunity to scan an opponent for new openings to strike.  
Paristons dark eyes drilled deeper into Gings, as if he could pull him apart layer by layer.  
But instead of retorting with a thinly veiled insult, the taller man simply straightened up, and waved his hand leisurely. “I think I’m going to go into my cabin, unpack my suitcase, get comfortable.”

“I could use a nap and a helping from the minibar...” The dark-haired man sighed, though he was curiously intrigued how he had won their little feud so quickly and effortlessly. He fished in his pockets for the small key and golden room-tag attached. Number 143.  
Pariston leisurely lead the way down the main hallway leading to the personal cabins. Something about the way he walked, just slow enough to check that Ging was still behind him, from time to time flashing a smile back to him, unsettled the other man. _What is he hiding?_

The elegant doors passed by Ging as he checked the number plate attached to each of them.

_Hundred and two, hundred and three, hundred and four…_

_  
_ The tall blond was still walking ahead, his steps airy and rhythmic.

  
_Hundred and twelve, hundred and thirteen, hundred and fourteen…_

_  
_ Ging noted how the carpet laid out on the floor almost had the same colour Paristons suit, and how he could best form an insult around that.

  
_Hundred and twenty-three, hundred and twenty-four, hundred and twenty-five…_

_  
_ Something was definitely wrong. Was Paristons cabin really that close to his own? Even if so, Ging was convinced he could still play that to his advantage. Maybe he could bang his fists against the wall periodically through the night.

_Hundred and forty-one, hundred and forty-two, h-_  
“There we are!” The blond clapped his hands together. Ging checked the gold plate on the door, 143. He looked back at his key plate, 143.

“This is my cabin, scram.”

“Oh, did I not mention we were going to share a cabin? Or did you choose the ignore me while you were wolfing down 4 portions of hash browns?” Pariston already unlocked the door with his own key, its own number plate of ‘143’ mocking Ging.

“This is not happening. I am not going to fulfil whatever little fantasy you had in mind here.” He stepped into the small cabin, with the full intent to complain further, though his tired thoughts were a bit faster. “Oh thank fuck there’s two beds.”

The cabin was nicely decorated, as was expected. Two Queen sized beds, separated by one nightstand, a deep blue carpeted floor, and a good view of the Ocean. Opposite of the beds there was a solid wood cabinet, a wall-mounted TV, and, of course, the mini fridge.

“ We are two grown men confident in our professional relationship, I don’t see the problem.” Pariston had already positioned himself at the large window, only slightly tilting his head back to look at Ging. His dishonest smile was a challenge.

Ging could never say no to a challenge.

And so, he quickly threw off his shoes, and jumped on the bed close to the window with a long exhale. “You’re right, this is not so bad! Hope you don’t mind me getting comfortable.”

The blond slowly ran his eyes up and down the others form, making a significant stop at Gings socks. Dirty, worn, probably older than any clothes he himself owned. His smile didn’t fade, though it was significantly more strained. “Of course not, this is our home for the next four days, after all.”

“Great! Then how about you pass me something from the minibar, roommate?” Ging got more comfortable on the bed, rested his head on folded arms, crossed his legs and let one foot bounce loosely in the air. If he had to endure the presence of the other for four days, he would make sure to be as annoying of a roommate as possible. Maybe Pariston would even get fed up and ask for a new cabin for himself.  
The blond walked over to the small fridge and crouched down as he dug through its contents. “They have the worst brand of champagne…But the best brand of Whiskey.” Ging hummed in approval, eyes closed and not a care in the world. A stranger could never tell the difference, but he knew from experience that Paristons tone in voice had become bitter, sour. This round was a win for Ging.  
He felt the others footsteps come closer to the bed again, rounding around it to come to a stop in front of the window again. The familiar clicking of the bottle being opened enticed Ging to open his eyes, and start reaching for it.

But before he could even extend his hand, Pariston had already wrapped his lips around the small opening of the glass bottle, taking a slow swig.

“Oh! I’m sorry, did you want the Whiskey? You should have said so.” His smile was unchanged, but his eyes had that glimmer of victory that made Ging cringe. Pariston extended his free hand to reveal the small bottle of champagne, as if he expected it to be taken from him, though both really knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Instead, Ging sat up and grabbed the small Whiskey bottle from the others light grasp. For some reason, he could feel the blood pumping through his veins as he took the bottle to his lips, never breaking eye contact. Without flinching, he emptied the bottle and disregarded it to the floor.

“Thanks for the drink.” His throat protested the harshness of the alcohol, though it was barely a drop on a hot stone.

“Shouldn’t roommates be able to share?” Pariston leaned forward, once again invading personal space, or at least more space than Ging would be comfortable with.

“You got a drop out of it, seems fair enough for a lightweight like you.”

“Maybe I can take more than just a drop.” With a low chuckle, he leaned even more towards Gings face, before coming to a halt. Carefully he wrapped one hand under the smaller mans chin, tilting it up, and slowly brushing his thumb across the others bottom lip, catching an escaping drop of alcohol.

As he quickly retracted his hand and straightened his back again, he licked away the bitter drop he had caught, before wrinkling his nose. “Maybe the most expensive things don’t always taste the best.”

Ging wasn’t sure when he had stopped breathing, but it became noticeable through a sharp inhale he finally took. He got played. There would be no way that Pariston didn’t notice how his heart had been beating harder, and how motionless he became. Ging didn’t even know why he responded that way. It’s not like he was attracted to Pariston. The man repulsed him to the core, and his personality was unreadable.

But maybe opposites do attract. Maybe two wrongs make a right.

So Ging decided to make things right, as he grabbed the taller man by the collar and pulled him into a hard kiss. It was sloppy but got the idea across. Ging dragged his tongue across Paristons teeth, eager to deepen the kiss, and with a pleased noise in the back of his throat Pariston let himself be pulled closer. The shorter man didn’t loosen his grip on the collar he was holding onto, but before Pariston could steady himself by holding onto Gings hips, he pushed him back against the window, ending the kiss as quickly as it had begun.

Ging wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, flashing a confident grin. “Sorry, just wanted to take back what you took. I fucking hate sharing.”

Pariston shot him a pained smile, his left eye showing the faintest twitch “Say, whens the last time you brushed your teeth?”

“That’s for me and my toothbrush to know. I’m going to go check out the buffet, hope you’ll have the fridge restocked when im back.”

And with that, Ging left the room, leaving Pariston confused, disgusted, but somehow even more intrigued. This could be four very interesting days. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Pariging tag. Did this for my girlfriend who *really* likes Pariging and i love indulging other people  
> Note that this hasn't been proofread and im not a native english speaker haha 
> 
> Critique is heavily encouraged. Thanks for reading :)


End file.
